Be resourceful

It has been a bit more than a month since we moved to London. We are still in temporary accommodation; our bags are all over the place and my kitchen is a mess. I have been trying to keep to a minimum during our transition, I don’t want to have to move more stuff when we find our permanent home. Therefore, cooking every night has been a challenge. My pantry currently consists of sea salt, pepper, apple cider vinegar, honey and nutritional yeast. I have had to be resourceful because the pots and pans I have now are very limited. Still, I have had the energy to keep on cooking enjoyable, nutrient dense and healthy meals. And most importantly I have managed to make easy meals!

For tonight I will be making a quinoa “pie” with lots of veggies and smoked tofu. As an accompaniment, I will make a butternut squash puree, it’s the season and I love the taste!

Put ½ cup of quinoa in the boiling water, put heat in low, cover and simmer. Cook for about 20 minutes or until you see the quinoa is soft and ready.

In another pan cook the vegetables of your choice. I usually cook them with a little bit of water, this way I can put some nutritional yeast in and the vegetables will have some added sauce and will soften quicker. NOTE: The amount is up to you, I usually exaggerate and if it is too much I put the rest aside for another meal. My favourites are baby carrots, peas, plum tomatoes and Brussels sprouts.

Pre-heat the oven to 200°C

Cut the smoked tofu into small cubes.

Mix the vegetables, smoked tofu and quinoa together in a baking dish. OPTIONAL: If you don’t want it vegan, you can add some feta cheese to have a different flavour. You could even add some free-range chicken instead of tofu,

Place in the oven for 20 minutes, or until golden.

Butternut squash puree (Serves 2 or 3)

Ingredients: Butternut squash, salt, pepper, honey, rosemary.

Pre-heat the oven to 250°C

Halve the butternut squash and take out all the seeds.

Place it in the oven for about 45 minutes.

When it is tender, take it out of the oven and scoop out all the filling. NOTE: You can discard the skin, or save it to make a vegetable broth.

Hand mash or liquidise it, depends on the kind of texture you may be looking for. Add some salt, pepper, 1 teaspoon of honey and rosemary.

Place it in the oven for 15 more minutes, the flavours will be stronger and the mash will be ready to serve. Optional: Add some goat’s cheese before you place it in the oven for added texture and protein.